The present invention relates to apparatus used in fluid processing such as diafiltration and concentration, as exemplified by protein or nucleic acid purification applications.
The basic equipment used in fluid processing such as diafiltration and concentration procedures includes a container (reservoir) holding the fluid material being processed, a pump, and tubing circulating the fluid material from the container through a filter and back into the container. An auxiliary source of additional fluid material (buffer) may also be present to add material to the container.
The current practice in the art is to use a rigid, reusable container as the reservoir to hold the fluid material and buffer, and to provide a physical place for mixing with a stirbar or impeller. Between uses, the rigid reusable reservoir and any associated stirring or mixing apparatus must be carefully cleaned and decontaminated. The cleaning process is time-consuming and always a potential for contamination.
The present invention eliminates entirely the rigid, reusable container and associated mixing apparatus and provides in its palace a unique flexible, disposable reservoir formed to induce mixing of fluids as they travel through the reservoir without the use of a stirbar, impeller or other mechanical mixing device.
The reservoir of the present invention not only provides an advantageous substitute for the standard rigid, reusable reservoir, but also provides a container in which the processed fluid can be stored and transported.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a disposable reservoir for use in fluid processing such as diafiltration and concentration.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a reservoir which induces material mixing without the use of mechanical stirring devices.
Yet another object of the present invention is provide such a reservoir which is formed from an inexpensive disposable material that can serve as a container for storing and/or transporting the processed material.
The foregoing and other objectives, features and advantages of the invention will be more readily understood upon consideration of the following detailed description of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.